Hay-stacker.



PATENTED JAN. 8, 1905.

L. OBERWBTTER. HAY STACKER. APPLIQATION FILED JAN.18. 1994.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2 WIN/8858:

Arm/MUS No. 779,304. L PATENTED JAN. 3, 1905.

; L. OBERWETTBR.

HAY STAGKER.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 18. 1904.

s SHEETS-SHEET 3.

lieu/is Oberwefir ATTORNEYS UNIT'ED STATES Patented January 3, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

LEWIS OBERWETTER, OF GORDON, NEBRASKA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TOFREDERIOK O. DUERFELDT, OF GORDON, NEBRASKA.

HAY-STACKER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 779,304, dated January 3, 1905. Application filed January 18, 1904- Serial No. 189,494.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known thatI, LEWIS OBERWETTER, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident of Gordon, in the county of Sheridan and State of Nebraska, have invented a new and improved Hay-Stacker, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The purpose of the invention is to provide an exceedingly simple, durable, and economic form of hay-stacker so constructed that the fork is counterbalanced by means of a weight which assists in raising the fork and prevents a too violent return of the fork to receiving or normal position and to so mount the pivoted supports for the fork that when the fork is brought to its full upper position it will yet be at one side of the perpendicular, inclining sufficiently from the stack to give the fork an automatic downward impulsein direction of its initial position.

\ A further purpose of the invention is to provide a single lifting-cable for the fork con- -nected with the'draft device and with eachside of the fork-support, the cable being led over guide-pulleys in the same manner at each side of theframe and over guide-pulleys on correspondinglifting-arms connected with the fork-support and correspondingly fulcrumed upon the frame, whereby an equal lifting strain is applied to each side of the fork, and such lifting strain is exerted with a Windlass effect.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved stacker with the fork in its elevated or dumping position. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the stacker, showing the fork in its initial or receiving position in positive lines and partially elevated in dotted lines; and Fig. 3 is a plan view of the stacker, the fork being in its receiving position.

The base of the main frame of the device consists of two parallel sills 10, located at preportions of the sills 10 upwardly a predetermined distance, and these standards are connected at the rear of the frame by cross-bars 12 i and 13, intermediate of the ends of the standards. Parallel diagonally-located brace-bars 6o 14: are also employed in the construction of the frame, and the lower ends of these brace-bars 14: are secured to the runners lOnear their upturned ends 10 and are carried in engagement with the upper end portions of the standards 11, being secured thereto by suitable coupling devices 15, and the said brace-bars 14 extend upwardly and rearwardly a predetermined distance beyond the upper ends of the said standards 11. Uprights 17 are carried from the upper cross-bar 12 of the standards 11, and these uprights 17, as is shown in Fig. 3, are located one at each side of the center of the said cross-bar. Braces 18 extend from the upper portions of the said uprights to the 7 5 opposing sides of the standards 11, as is indicated in Figs. 1 and 3. A bridge-bar 19 is secured at its rear end between the uprights 17, and braces 20 extend from the said bridgebar at points between its ends downward, preferably to an engagement with the lower cross-bar 13 of the standards 11.

A supporting-bar 22 is secured to the forward end of the bridge-bar l9, and this sup porting-bar 22 is attached to a cross-bar 23, connecting the runners 10 near their forward ends, as is shown in Fig. 3.

Two pulleys 25 are independently suspended from the forward portion of the bridge-bar 19 by a yoke 26, as is shown clearly in Figs. 1 and 3, and at the upper end of each diagonal brace-bar 14 a block 27 is secured to the inner face of the diagonal bars, or the upper ends of said diagonal bars may be enlarged in width, as is shown in Fig. 3. In these blocks 27, or

Guide pulleys 30 are likewise located at the rear ends of the runners 10, as is best shown in Fig. 3.

In connection with the main frame just described a pivoted frame B is employed, carrying at its forward end a fork A of any suitable construction. The pivoted or fork-carrying frame B consists, preferably, of side bars 31 and an end bar 31, and this fork-carrying frame B is pivoted to the inner faces of the standards 11 near their lower ends by suitable pivot-pins 32, as is shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and at the rear portion of the fork-carrying frame B suitable braces 33 are located to strengthen the said frame, as is indicated in Figs. 2 and 3.

In connection with the fork A and its carrying-frame B parallel lifting-arms 34 are employed. These parallel lifting-arms are pivoted at their lower ends by suitable pins 35 or by a shaft, if desired, to upper extensions from the rear portions of the runners in front of the standards 11, as is shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The said lifting-arms 34 extend normally upward and forward, as is shown in Fig. 2, and near their upper or free ends are connected by ropes or chains 36 with the carrying or supporting frame B of the fork A, so that when the lifting-arms 34 assume their normal position (shown in Fig. 2) they limit the downward movement of the fork A and its carrying-frame. Each lifting-arm 34 at its upper or free end is provided with two pulleys 37 and 38, mounted to revolve in the said arms 34, and at the outer extremity of each lifting-arm 34 an eye 38 is formed. Ropes or cables 39 are attached to the carrying or supporting frame B for the fork A back of the connectihgropes 36, and these ropes or cables 39 are carried upward over the pulleys 25, suspended from the bridgebar 19, and are generally connected with a weight 40, which weight is preferably in the nature of a box adapted to be filled with sand or other material.

In connection with the lifting-arms 34 and the carrying-frame B for the fork A a single cable is employed for raising the said members, and this cable is distributed and is guided in the same manner at each side of the device and is passed through a ring 42, connected with a draft device C, which draft device may be in the form of double or single tree and may be located at either one or the other side of the device.

The operating-cable just mentioned is attached at its ends to the eyes 38 at the upper end portions of the lifting-arms 34, as is shown at 41 in the drawings, and the distribution of the cable is substantially as follows: Referring first to the lay of the cable at the righthand side of the machine, wherein the cable extends from the point 41", where it connects with the right-hand lifting-arm 34 in an upper stretch 43 over the upper pulley 28 on the right-hand brace-bar 14 of the frame, and is then carried forward from: said pulley in an intermediate stretch 44 and is passed over the outer pulley 37. on the right-hand lifting-arm 34 and downward in a vertical stretch 44 over a pulley 45 at the right-hand side member 31 of the carrying-frame for the fork A, which pulley 45 is duplicated at the opposite side member of the said carrying-frame. The cable after being passed around the righthand pulley 45 is carried upward in a vertical stretch 46 and over the right-hand lower pulley 38 in the right-hand lifting-arm 34, and from this pulley 38 the cable is carried in a lower stretch 46, parallel with the upper and intermediate stretches 44, over the lower pulley 29 in the right-hand brace-rod 14 of the main frame, and from the said pulley 29 the cable is carried downward in a vertical rear stretch 47 and is passed over the right-hand pulley at the rear face portion of thexnain frame and is then carried in a horizontal stretch 47 over the left-hand corresponding pulley 30 and is passed through the ring 42 of the draft device (1. The cable is then returned in a horizontal stretch 48 and is then carried up in a stretch 48 over the left-hand lower pulley 29 on the left-handbrace-bar14 of the main frame and is then carried forward, forming a lower stretch 49 at the left hand side, and downward over the left-hand lower pulley 38 in the left-hand lifting-arm 34, forming a forward vertical stretch 49, which is passed over the left-hand pulley in the supporting or carrying frame of the fork, and this left-hand portion of the cable is then carried upward, forming a lefthand forward stretch 50 and is then carried over the upper pulley 37 of the left-hand liftingarm 34 and rearward under and over theupper left-hand pulley 28 in the left-hand brace-bar 14, forming an intermediate stretch 0- m h pu y 28 the cable is carried in an upper stretch 51 to an attachment with the left-hand eye 38" at the upper end of the left-hand lifting-arm 34, the attachment being indicated at 41, as has been indicated. Thus it will be observed that the cable, which is utiliz d to lift th a yi g-frame B, and consequently the fork Aa and in a measure to control its downward movement, draws equally from each side, as the cable is uninterrupted from end to end and has the same pulley-guides at each side of the device, the team drawing equally upon the stretches of the cable at each side, When the team is driven away from the device, the fork having received its load, the fork and its support are carried to a sub stantially vertical position, as shown in Fig. 1, where the load will be dump d, S0 as to form a stack; but the preponderance of the weight of the fork will be at that side of a perpendicular line drawn from the pivot 32 of the fork in direction of the forward end of the device, so that as soon as the team is backed the fork and its supporting-fraine of their own volition will start to travel down ward to their receiving position, the weight 40 acting at such time to retard the downward movement of the fork and its frame, so that such movement will not be an abrupt one. Furthermore, the said weight & as the fork and its supporting-frame are raised by the tackle heretofore described serves to materially assist in raising the frame and tends to relieve the team from the weight of the material carried by the fork just prior to the dumping operation.

A cross-bar 52 is preferably attached to the upper under side edges of the brace-bars 14 of the main frame, and from one end portion of this bar 52 a vertical beam or plank 53 is suspended, while at the opposite end of the said cross-bar 52 a ladder 54 is correspondingly suspended, and the ladder and the beam 53 being spaced from the rear faces of the standards 11 serve to hold the hay forming the stack from interference with the stretches 47 and 48- of the said cable, thereby preventing any interruption in the operation of the cable. The ladder 54: serves to enable a person to readily mount to the top of the stack or conveniently leave the same. The guard beam or bar 53 and the ladder 5 are supported from the cross-bar 52 by suitable hangers 55, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Having thus. described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a hay-stacker, a frame, a fork having pivotal movement in the frame, a draft device, an elevating-cable for the fork, roller-supports for the cable on the frame, a connection between the cable and the draft device, and guards at the delivery end of the frame, between which and the frame the cable extends to its connection with the draft device, as described.

2. In a hay-stacker, a frame, a fork having pivotal movement in the frame, a draft device,

an elevating-cable for the fork, roller-supports for the cable on the frame, a connection between the cable and the draft device, and guards at the delivery end of the frame, between which and the frame the cable extends to its connection with the draft device, one of said guards being in the form of a ladder, for the purpose described.

3. In a hay-stacker, a main frame comprising a base, rear standards, diagonal braces extending from the forward portions of said base to and beyond the upper ends of the standards, and an upper, centrally-located and forwardly-extending bridge-bar, supported and located between the said standards, pulleys suspended from the bridge-bar, and pulleys in duplicate at the upper ends of said diagonal braces, a fork-carrying frame pivoted to the rear portion of the main frame, provided with a pulley at each side, lifting-arms pivoted to the rear portion of the base and eX- tending normally in a forward direction, duplicate pulleys at the free ends of the liftingarms, cables attached to said fork-carrying frame, passed over the pulleys on the bridgebar, a weight connected with the said cable, a draft device, and a lifting-cable secured at its ends to the free ends of thelifting-arms, which lifting-cable is arranged in duplicate stretches at each side of the main frame, and passes over all of the said pulleys with the exception of the weight-supporting pulleys, and has sliding connection with the draft device, and guide-pulleys on the base of the main frame, which direct the lifting-cable to the draft device, as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subcribing witnesses.

LEWIS OBERWETTER.

Witnesses:

ALLEN A. STRONG, IV. E. BROWN. 

